Game Walkthrough

It all starts with you getting a Nissan 350Z at your disposal, but it immediately turns out that it’s only meant to get you to the nearest car lot. There it will be taken away, and instead you’ll get a chance to choose a suitable junker with no hint of tuning. Apparently, this is so the player first feels all the power and beauty of a good car, and then strives for one for the rest of the game.

Moving around the city, you are free to choose the events you want to take part in, as well as stop by shops, pick up cash bonuses and useful tips (a red icon with the letter “i”). From time to time, expect phone calls and SMS messages — your friend and mentor Rachel will give advice or share “secret” information about where a race that isn’t marked on the map is taking place.

For reference: GPS helps a lot with navigation. By marking an object on the map, you get a huge arrow above your head pointing the way. Be careful on bridges — it’s easy to make a mistake with the arrow’s direction there.

The walkthrough itself comes down entirely to winning races, improving your car, and photographing it for magazine covers about tuning and DVD covers. While in the city, press T — you’ll see the game completion percentage, the number of unlocked shops and parts, your visual rating, and plenty of other equally useful parameters. Press “right” to view the list of tasks required to advance to the next level (there are 5 in total). These tasks include the total number of wins, wins in the Underground Racing League (U.R.L.), the required number of magazine cover photos, and additional requirements set by your sponsor.

A few words must be said about sponsors. When you complete a stage, you choose your next sponsor. They’ll give you some amount of money right away and assign another amount as bonuses for wins. In addition, the sponsor provides one extra car that can be obtained at the Car Lot. But in exchange for all these comforts of civilization, you’ll have to win several additional competitions, secure a certain number of wins, and get onto the required covers.

Each next stage opens up another part of the city. From time to time, a certain race that unexpectedly turns out to be key begins and ends with a story cutscene in the best comic-book traditions. The bad guys (and not only guys) hatch cunning plans and time after time plan to beat you on the track, but alas, disappointment awaits them.

The story ends with a kind of “battle on the Kalinov Bridge” — a one-on-one racing duel with the main bad guy. As it turns out, he can’t drive either...

This is important: The game can end much earlier than the completion percentage reaches 100%. And that’s all because this percentage is nothing more than the ratio of races already completed to the total number available in the game. And you don’t need all of them to complete the game.